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Author Topic: Reading plugs  (Read 2517 times)

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Offline garage gnome

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Reading plugs
« on: July 28, 2013, 01:48:53 PM »
I know that a tan colored spark plug is when the engine is tuned right and black is too rich, sooty is burning oil, but what does gray mean? This is one of the plugs from my 53 after running the dual carbs for a bit.

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Nate in Western MA 1953 3A #3268, The Jalopy, '47 2A Wheelin' rig, '49 3A, #37071, unmolested, bone stock named Ted

Offline Jesse

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Re: Reading plugs
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2013, 03:39:27 PM »
Hmm. Well I would call that a little lean. The proper test is to run it wide open for a decent stretch, shut it down and coast to a stop. This gives the plug reading at maximum power without any idling etc etc.

If you are doing this then maybe enrich the mix a bit and see how that goes. You might find that you need to build a progressive throttle set up to keep it rich enough wide open without fouling plugs at idle. If you run out of reasonable adjustment room then maybe changing heat range is an option. Maybe one step colder if you have raised the compression with a different head or lots of machine work or both.

-Jesse
« Last Edit: July 28, 2013, 03:47:16 PM by Jesse »
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Offline Carls_jeep

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Re: Reading plugs
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2013, 04:28:26 PM »
Jesse is right on track.
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Offline garage gnome

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Re: Reading plugs
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2013, 06:52:41 PM »
Ok, I can do that test. It seems good at high RPMs though.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2013, 06:53:13 PM by garage_gnome »
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Nate in Western MA 1953 3A #3268, The Jalopy, '47 2A Wheelin' rig, '49 3A, #37071, unmolested, bone stock named Ted

Offline Gunslinger

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Re: Reading plugs
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2013, 03:38:57 PM »
How does it run now?  That might be your best gauge of what to do next.  I don't like to borrow trouble, got enough of that as it is.
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Offline Jesse

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Re: Reading plugs
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2013, 09:32:26 PM »
If nothing else adjusting it a little more rich would probably be a good idea even if it runs fine. If that is what the plug looks like for all around driving then it could be getting pretty lean on the higher end. Tuning for performance is always a balance. Carl probably knows a lot more about this topic than I would.

You wouldn't be running a lead additive by chance?

-Jesse
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Offline garage gnome

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Re: Reading plugs
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2013, 05:50:22 AM »
It is running fine now. I'm not running lead additive.
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Nate in Western MA 1953 3A #3268, The Jalopy, '47 2A Wheelin' rig, '49 3A, #37071, unmolested, bone stock named Ted

Offline Jesse

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Re: Reading plugs
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2013, 10:32:05 PM »
Just wondering, lead would cause a buildup on plugs after a while if you were dumping a lot in the tank.
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